Apple TV gets Dolby Atmos support and more

tvOS also adds major cable company support

What just happened? Apple added Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision support to the Apple TV. The first and only streaming box with this capability

At Apple's WWDC 2018 developer conference, the company announced some brief updates for the Apple TV and tvOS, notably adding Dolby Atmos support and live sports and news to the TV app.

The Apple TV 4K will support both Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision. It will be the only streaming box to do so although it requires a compatible sound bar and TV. Dolby Atmos will start rolling out to iTunes Movies this fall with existing movies getting a free update just like the 4K upgrade last year.

Apple showed a picture of a old and busted cable set top box to make the point that more and more cable companies are turning to streaming boxes like the Apple TV to host their cable content. To that end, Apple partnered with Charter Spectrum to allow subscribers access to live television and on-demand content. It marks the first time a major U.S. cable company has supported the Apple TV instead of relying on their own set top box. Apple promises that more cable companies will follow Charter's lead.

Last year, Apple introduced a single sign on system that allows you to use one login instead having to manually log into each video app. Apple is updating that "zero sign on" this year. Let's say you subscribe to Charter's broadband internet and cable services, the Apple TV will recognize that and simply log you in automatically to all of your cable apps that use Charter's credentials if it recognizes Charter as your ISP. More providers are coming according to Apple.

Finally, Apple partnered with the International Space Station and NASA to create new panoramic space vistas that were shot from the ISS. The Apple TV will also finally show where the screensavers were shot (similar to Bing) and allow users to swipe between each screensaver